The General Authority for Regulating the Telecommunications Sector (TRA) successfully concluded its participation at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) held in Barcelona from March 2-5 with the presence of ICT Ministers, representatives of government and private entities who are involved in ICT issues in general and mobile phones and networks coverage sector in particular. This participation has resulted in TRA signing an important MOU with the GSM Association (GSMA) in addition to participating in the Event’s Ministerial Program sessions and holding several bilateral meetings all directed towards supporting the TRA’s vision and mission to achieve a remarkable and effective presence on the global level and strengthening the strategic partnership with the concerned international parties.

MOU:

 The TRA announced a groundbreaking partnership to establish a Centre of Excellence and Training for Telecommunications Policy and Regulatory Capacity Building in MENA. The Centre of Excellence will provide TRA employees, regulators and policymakers from across the region with practical tools and best practices with the goal of creating an environment that encourages competition and investments in telecommunications in the UAE and across the region.

His Excellency Hamad Obaid Al Mansouri, TRA Director General and Mr. Tom Philips, GSMA Chief Regulatory Officer signed the MOU on the second day of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The agreement recognizes the active role of the organization as the organization responsible for delivering advanced broadband connectivity and mobile phone services, in addition to encouraging a long-term commitment by governments to market-driven competition and private sector investment in the mobile communications sector.

“In the global information age, the mobile services industry is a key driver of investment, economic development and innovation, providing a new generation of businesses and entrepreneurs across MENA with access to new customers, markets and services. We are pleased to collaborate with GSMA to develop a positive telecommunications regulatory environment in the UAE in particular and across the region in general,” said H.E. Hamad Obaid Al Mansouri, TRA Director General.

"We are confident that our agreement with GSMA will have a tangible and profound impact in boosting the regional telecommunications sector in the future and look forward to putting this agreement into effect to move into a new phase of cooperation. Furthermore, initiatives such as this continue to cement the UAEs leading position in contributing to the growth of the telecom industry and reflects the UAEs wise leadership to prioritize developments in the sector as part of the UAE Vision 2021,” he added.

The Centre of Excellence for Telecommunications Policy and Regulatory Capacity Building offers regulators and policymakers a comprehensive understanding of contemporary policy development, regulation theory and emerging regulatory practice models, as well as business and technology trends relevant to the mobile communications sector. Additionally, the MOU provides capacity building training and professional development for TRA stakeholders, regulators, policymakers, and any participants nominated by TRA or any other parties.

The Centre of Excellence will be located at the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority’s state-of-the-art facilities in Dubai and courses will be delivered either on-site or via online facilities.

Ministerial Program

The UAE TRA delegation also participated in MWC’s Ministerial Program where H.E. Al Mansouri delivered a speech emphasizing on the role played by the GSM Association (GSMA) in representing the interests of more than 800 operators and authorized service providers in 220 countries in addition to devices manufacturers and software design and Internet companies. He also highlighted the UAE vision and leadership directives towards providing world-class services to customers by transitioning from customer satisfaction to customer delight. He stressed on the great efforts exerted by various UAE government entities and departments to achieve full transformation towards mGovernment and succeed in providing all services to customers through mobile applications.

Bilateral meetings:

The TRA team participating in the conference held several bilateral meetings with the delegations of Mexico, Egypt and ITU to discuss ways of developing cooperation and exchange knowledge, expertise and success stories in all ICT issues ranging from infrastructure and communication networks and services to international roaming services, cyber security, radio communications and satellite services among others. In these meeting, discussions focused on the importance of coordination between various concerned working groups in order to identify the topics of concern for operators and dealers throughout the region and set clear and well thought mechanisms to highlight them in order to mobilize the necessary support in international conferences and forums.

The UAE TRA concluded its participation in the conference by meeting with Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), who started his mission as secretary General earlier this year. His Excellency TRA Director General and on behalf of the UAE delegation congratulated the new Secretary General on his new position, and stressed on the confidence he gained from the ITU Member States and the UAE. He emphasized that the UAE represented by the TRA will continue its efforts in providing full support to the ITU in order to strengthen its leading position and pioneering role in leading the global ICT sector for more than 150 years.